Just How Far I'd Go
by Steele Stingray
Summary: When Aerith has gone missing, Zack is driven to search all of Gaia to get her back. Zack/Aerith is the main pairing, but there is also some Cloud/Tifa as they help Zack on his journey. Rate M for...take a wild guess.
1. Drowning in Green

**Author's Note: **Some people have been requesting that I write longer stories, so here we go. I thought I'd start with another Zack/Aerith, since the original story I wrote, 'Pink Forget-Me-Nots' is one of my more popular stories. Once again, I write this in complete disregard of any deaths/events in the Compilation of FF7 (and isn't sleepy Cloud cute?). Enjoy!

**Just How Far I'd Go**

**Part 1: Drowning in Green**

Aerith sank into the healing pool in the center of her church, smiling as her white and blue skirt swirled around her waist like some exotic, aquatic flower. The pool had appeared in the center of the church after one particularly violent rainstorm in the ruins of Midgar; rather than being upset, Aerith was pleased, mostly because the flowers that had grown so well in the occupied space survived just as well under the crystal clear water. She brushed a yellow lily petal with the tip of her big toe and it moved sensuously with the water, like a miniature dancer.

A sudden ray of sunlight shot glare off the surface of the pool, causing Aerith to shield her eyes. The crystal surface sparkled like a diamond.

Aerith was sure the water was magic. It was always either perfectly warm or perfectly cool, depending on who was soaking; clothes dipped in it became clean and dry upon exiting the water, and injuries and diseases mysteriously evaporated under the surface. Aerith's boyfriend Zack and her good friend Tifa were also in concurrence with her assessment, having experienced the healing power firsthand. As for Cloud…well, no one could ever tell what he was thinking…

Aerith felt a twinge of sadness thinking of them.

The three of them had been employed directly by Rufus Shinra to protect the planet from attack along with a whole motley group of others; others like Cid and Vincent, Yuffie and Barrett, Reno and Rude and Cissnei. Aerith ached to be with them, but no one was willing to put the last Cetra in harms' way. So she was forced to wait, in agony, not knowing whether any of her loved ones would return from their mission. She wanted peace.

She pressed her hands over her heart, looking up at the sky.

She prayed to nothing in particular, but prayed nonetheless, to see Tifa's tender smile…see Cloud's expressionless, but endearing face…and Zack. She wished from the very depths of her heart to run her hands through his lush black hair, look deep into those fathomless blue eyes of his, feel him grip her tight in a hug. His embrace was the best, the only time she felt safe from all the evils in the world. Even now, she hugged her shoulders tight, but it wasn't the same. Zack loomed over her like a shield, holding her close to his loud heartbeat. It wasn't the same…

With a sharp sigh, Aerith submerged herself for the feeling of weightlessness. She didn't want to be a burden. She wanted to fight with them…She understood the need for her survival, but still…she wanted it so badly.

As she rose for air, Aerith tried to unleash all her worries and frustrations in a cloud of bubbles. Zack was scheduled to come home the next day and she wanted to smile for him in relief that he was safe. As she breached the surface, she shook out her hair-a very dog-like habit she had adopted from Zack- and proceeded to hoist herself out of the water.

She basked in the gentle warmth of the sun for only a few moments, waiting for all the water to run off her skin. She turned to pick up her shoes and the small basket she'd brought with her…

…The last things she saw were his eyes. Cat-shaped, with long dark lashes and heavy eyelids. They were green. Envy green, with blue shot through them like bolts of lightning, the same piercing blue as Zack's eyes. She was drowning in his eyes…drowning…

….

Zack caught Tifa before she hit the bed of the truck. It was the dead of night, thankfully still warm with only a vestige of a breeze, with a new moon and a blanket of stars. But Zack and company were too exhausted to enjoy the pleasant night.

Cid, the resident insomniac, was driving the rattling hunk of tin that the locals had tried to pass off as a working truck, cursing quietly under his breath while a loudly snoring Barrett took up the remaining two seats to himself in the front cab. Vincent was brooding silently, his red eyes closed in apparent sleep, but Zack knew better by now; in his clawed hands, he cradled the unconscious and slight form of Yuffie, who had only conceded to be held after she almost broke her bones against the sides of the truck. Cloud was struggling to stay awake, dirt and blood on his face, dark circles under his half-closed eyes. He was leaning heavily into the side of the vehicle, and he looked up when Tifa collapsed.

She too had been trying to stay awake, but her body got the better of her as well, and she had lurched over in a dead sleep, about to slam hard into the metal bed. Luckily, Zack's reflexes were not dulled and he snatched her in midair. Cloud looked at Zack in exhausted thanks.

Zack's muscles screamed as he struggled to hold Tifa. "You want her?"

Cloud nodded (although it could have just been his head bouncing with the truck), and Zack passed her over into Cloud's shaking arms. Within moments the two of them were dozing peacefully for the first time in three nights.

"Aren't you tired, Zack?" Vincent asked, his dark hair blowing in the wind. He knew that Vince had been awake.

Zack smiled. "Are you kidding me? I'm ready to go!" It was an obvious lie. He could barely lift his sword; the Shinra Corporation had put them through hell this time. Even the Turks (who had the resilience of barnacles) had to radio in a chopper after this past mission, two weeks of hell on earth. "What about you?"

Vincent looked calmly toward the non-existent moon. "I find with each passing year I feel the strain of life press on me less." He was a morbid guy. "I don't feel pain or fear or exhaustion as acutely, but I also pay for these accommodations dearly. I find it harder to sleep and I no longer feel the need for food or liquid…"

Zack twisted his lips. "That sounds uncomfortable…"

"It's not so bad, though the nights are longer with each day it seems." Vincent was a study in black and crimson and stoicism, but Zack actually kind of liked him. He was better than the Turks anyway. "I too am ready to return to Lucrecia."

Zack could hardly blame him. Doctor Lucrecia Crescent was easily one of the most beautiful women on the planet, gentle and poised as a queen and staggeringly intelligent…and she was very much in love with Vincent. It was clear that Vincent ached for her every moment they were apart and Zack could hardly blame him…Lucrecia was his type as well.

"Yeah, I know how you feel." He folded his arms behind his head. "I want to see Aerith too." The only reason Zack had undertaken these ridiculous enterprises, aside from keeping an eye on Cloud, was that he wanted to keep Aerith safe from the untold evils of the world. With a sigh that flexed his burning muscles, Zack prayed for a safe and speedy journey home so that he could collapse into Aerith's arms and sleep. It sounded like heaven.

By the time the rattletrap excuse for a pickup reached the outskirts of Edge, the horizon was turning a lighter shade of violet in anticipation of the rising sun.

Although Edge was better than Midgar, especially Sector Seven, everything seemed dull and gray, even under direct sunlight, as though even the sun could not relieve the residents of their depression of having lost their original home. If Midgar had been a scab, a plague on the face of the planet, Edge was a healing scar, a wound with some of the pain fresh in the memories of all. Zack was still getting used to it.

First out of the truck were Vincent, and the still sleeping Yuffie. Vincent's tattered scarlet cloak stood out like a splotch of blood in the dull city, but he seemed unaffected as he practically floated over the concrete.

"Sure you don't want us to take 'er?" Cid asked, chomping a smoldering cigarette between his incisors. "Tifa's got a spare room in the bar."

Vincent shook his head, clutching their tiny friend closer. "It's no trouble. Besides…I believe there's someone at the Shinra Corporation who's desperately awaiting her return..."

"See you around, Vince!" Zack called softly, not wanting to wake Tifa and Cloud. Vincent nodded before continuing on.

Next was Barrett who only lived a block from the bar with his adoptive children, Marlene and Denzel. It was hard to rouse him, Zack only managing as a last-ditch effort when Cid threatened to put out his burning cigarette in Barrett's mouth. Still, even though his eyes were open, Barrett was still very much asleep and Zack's muscles screamed in pain as he dragged Barrett to the front door of his apartment. Luckily, Denzel and Marlene were awake and ready to guide him into the room.

He ruffled Denzel's auburn hair and the boy looked up at him with a smile. Barrett told Zack on this latest mission that Denzel idolized him, going on and on about how someday he wanted to be as strong and tall as Zack.

"How's it going?" Zack whispered.

"Did you beat them?" Denzel asked with excitement in his enormous eyes.

Zack flexed his arms, although the motion was painful. "Of course! We're the strongest!" Denzel nodded and Zack jumped at the impatient sound of a car horn. "We can catch up later, Denzel! I gotta run home and get some rest. Bye Marlene!"

Zack vaulted into the back of the truck, landing softly, even in his boots. His heart was pounding and he no longer felt so tired. His stop was next, and he quivered in anticipation at seeing Aerith again. Zack was never good at waiting.

When the rusting truck slowed in front of Seventh Heaven, Zack roused Cloud, as he could not conceivably carry both Cloud and Tifa in his current exhausted state. His best friend was hilarious when roused; like a child, he rubbed his heavy eyes and generally just looked sorrowful while his spiky blond hair stuck up in all directions. Cloud stumbled as he stood on the pavement, and Zack scooped Tifa up, rocking her like a baby.

"See you guys!" Cid barked. Zack smiled and inclined his shoulder while Cloud blinked in confusion. Cid took off in a squeal of tires and Cloud yawned pitifully.

Zack would have ruffled his hair if his hands had not been full of Tifa. "Ok, ok. I'll get you inside." Ignoring the cry of his body, Zack shifted Tifa to one arm and unlocked the entrance to the bar. He ushered zombie-Cloud through the door before locking the door behind him.

Once Zack had seen Cloud and Tifa safely to their beds (feeling much like a mother hen), only then did he truly relax, undoing his suspenders and kicking off his boots as he trudged up the final gauntlet of stairs to the room he shared with Aerith. With a gentle motion, he nudged the door open with his toe.

Zack inhaled deeply, as the room was awash with the scent of her, so familiar and comforting, it never dulled to him. As he slid into the bed, exhaustion claiming him before his head hit the pillow, he slowly reached out, grasping to encounter her sleeping form.

However, it was not there, and Zack felt his fingers grip the edge of the bed. The entire expanse was cold as if no one had slept there for a long while. He should have been worried. She should be there. But the sleep was too strong and Zack fell deep into it, his brow furrowing in concern…

….

Zack woke up in a cold sweat. He could not recall the precise details of his nightmare, but it had been enough to make him shudder from head to toe. It was still dark outside. He reached for Aerith's body and he felt more than slightly sick when he found she was not there.

He flung himself out of bed, not even bothering to put on his sweater or suspenders, and took the steps two at a time.

He skidded into the kitchen, hearing the sound of voices, but it was only Cloud and Tifa, making coffee. Like Zack, Cloud only wore a pair of white pajama pants, leaving his chest bare, while Tifa wore the shirt that was probably supposed to go with Cloud's pants and a pair of his boxer shorts; despite being so shy with one another (in comparison to Zack and Aerith, anyway) Cloud really was liberal with letting Tifa wear his clothes. Tifa smiled at Zack, still looking gorgeous, even with her messy hair tied back.

"Coffee?"

Cloud looked at his own mug like it contained something secretive in the bottom.

"How long did I sleep?" Zack asked, trying to keep his panic at a manageable level.

Tifa looked at the clock above the bar. "About…seventeen hours I think. Cloud and I just woke up ourselves." Zack felt the color drain from his face and Tifa, sensitive to emotions, noticed instantly. "Zack? You ok?"

Zack shook his head. "No…I'm not ok. Aerith wasn't here when we got back and she's still not here now." He looked at Tifa with desperation in his eyes. "I'm worried…"

He didn't have to say anything else. Tifa and Cloud both set down their coffee mugs instantly, Cloud moving toward clothes and shoes as Tifa began to question Zack. He felt pride and love for them swell in his heart like a balloon. There were no friends as exemplary as Cloud and Tifa.

The three of them got ready in record time, rounding the back of the bar to where Cloud and Zack's motorcycles were parked. Both vehicles were sleek and black, like predators, but Cloud's was devoid of design, while Zack's had small wings painted towards the tailpipe, the color a faint imitation of his vivid blue eyes. Tifa moved behind Cloud so that she could hold onto him as he drove, and the machines turned on with the growl of powerful engines.

They were headed toward the ruins of Midgar, the most likely place where Aerith would be: in her church.

Despite his upbeat personality, Zack could not help but think of all the horrible scenarios that could have caused Aerith's absence, including the horrific thought of the unstable structure collapsing on her delicate frame. He shook his head and tried to convince himself that the blurring of his eyes was caused by the wind. Tifa kept glancing back at him, in concern.

The ruins of Midgar at night were simultaneously serene and eerie. All noise was slightly muted and the silence was oppressive. Zack half expected to see either an angel or a demon to materialize from behind what was left of one of the gaunt buildings. It made the hair on his arms rise and he shivered, even though it was warm out.

As Zack and Cloud turned off their motorcycles, reaching the place where the streets were blocked, save for on foot, the silence truly enveloped them, and Zack hated quiet more than anything.

He sprinted to the church, the path to the sacred place as secondary as breathing. Zack would never forget where that church was, he had been there so often. He ran hard, to create noise and to get a peace of mind; he had no thought for Cloud and Tifa, whose levels of stamina were far inferior to his, he only urged himself faster.

Thankfully, the church was still intact (or as much as it had when he had last seen it) and Zack blasted through the half open doors, causing one to bounce off its' hinges and it swung on a pivot, creaking pitifully.

Inside was also the same: the crumbling pillars, the gaping hole in the ceiling, and the crystalline pool where the flower patch had been. But there was no Aerith.

Zack felt his skin prickle and become chilled as sweat ran down his face. He barely noticed as Cloud and Tifa joined him, both of them gasping for air. But they also noted Aerith's absence, and instantly sobered.

It was Tifa who finally found the strength to walk past the invisible barrier of loss that was restricting Zack. She stepped softly on the wood floors, seeking clues silently as Cloud and Zack watched with bated breath. Finally, as she looked to her right, she gave a sharp gasp and ran into the darkness of the side aisle.

The sound of Tifa's horror, snapped Zack and Cloud into action, and it was a miracle that they didn't splinter the floorboards, as hard as they ran to her.

Cloud was first; his concern for Tifa helped him outstrip Zack. "Tifa! What is it?"

Tifa was crouched on the floor, holding some familiar items. Zack's heart rose in his throat. "Aerith…she _was _here." In the corner were Aerith's sandals, a small basket, and her cell phone, all things she would not have left without. "If she didn't leave them here...She wouldn't have left them…not unless…" Tifa's eyes became panicked.

Zack's cold fear was replaced by burning, unlike anything he had ever felt before. It raced through his blood and his throat and his chest until he swore his vision was scarlet. He had to struggle to speak at all.

"…Unless we can assume that she didn't want to leave them. That maybe she wasn't given a choice." He turned toward the door, still squeaking ominously on it's hinges from where Zack had blasted them open. They had been slightly ajar when they came in. And Aerith always closed the doors behind her. "I think someone took her." He clenched his fists, vowing death on whoever had dared to take her from him.


	2. The Power of Tifa

** Author's Note: **Somehow this story is becoming of a friendship/bonding story than what I had originally intended. But I feel that Zack would never be able to stay focused without Cloud and Tifa. And thus their adventures begin… (I've also been typing this story to the soundtrack of 'The Last of the Mohicans', so that's good background noise if you're reading this.)

**Part 2: The Power of Tifa**

Zack was strong. He could level buildings with his magic, slice through solid rock with one swing of his sword, and his punches alone could kill a man. Physically he was almost unparalleled. But emotionally was another matter.

He shook violently as Cloud and Tifa uncovered more evidence that Aerith had been taken from the church. One of the pews had been splintered in half with some sort of clawed weapon and an extremely strong individual. Tifa found, perfectly preserved in the layer of dust in one of the aisles, a boot-print too large to belong to Aerith, but too thin to be Zack's or Cloud's. On closer inspection outside, there seemed to be motorcycle tracks, although only heaven knew how the abductors had gotten them anywhere near the church. Zack did not see any of these things, much less comprehend them. His mind was fraught with chaos and confusion and anger.

He was furious that someone had dared to steal the most precious thing in the universe to him. He was confused as to why someone would want her in the first place (of course she was the last Cetra, but people had been abducted over much less than that). But the most prevalent emotion for him was the fear and the helplessness: he had no idea who had taken her or why…or what they would do to her. He was supposed to protect her, to keep her from any kind of harm…and he'd failed. The sense of the crushing loss and his failure brought Zack to a level he was rarely on: staggering depression.

When Tifa had concluded her investigation, her bottom lip trembling a little, she came over to Zack and touched his shoulder.

He flinched at her touch, but looked down into those soft brown eyes of hers, like liquid warmth. He hoped that his eyes nearly cracked with the pain that was welling up in his body. Tifa's eyes got wider in response.

"Zack we're going to go now. Can you…do you think you can drive the motorcycle?" Her voice was level and monotone, as if she was afraid he was going to snap under too much stimulus. It was a legitimate concern.

Zack swallowed and it felt like there was a knife in his throat. "I…You and Cloud go back to the bar… I'm going after her."

As Zack moved to walk past Tifa, she grabbed a fistful of his shirt and yanked him backwards so she was blocking his path. Tifa was strong; she even made him lose his balance for a split second. She put her hands on her hips and glared slightly, making it clear that she wasn't going to move.

"Don't be ridiculous. We care about Aerith too. We're coming with you."

Cloud looked surprised; obviously this was the first he was hearing about this plan. But he didn't dare to question Tifa, who was as set as the muscles in her jaw. Zack instantly opened his mouth to protest, but the warmth in Tifa's eyes caught fire, burning as if she dared him to come up with an excuse to leave her behind. When it was clear that neither Cloud nor Zack were willing to contest her decision, Tifa grinned.

Cloud wandered over so that his hips were brushing against Tifa's. He looked down at her. "So…what's the plan?"

"Hmmm…" Tifa rested her fist on her mouth in thought. Zack was antsy. He was never good with coming up with plans, as he wasn't patient enough to think them through first. Even now he wanted to run after Aerith without any strategy; in hindsight, maybe Cloud and Tifa would be helpful. "Ah! I know! Aside from us, who would hate to lose Aerith the most?"

Zack was still too distraught to think clearly, so he let Cloud mull over the riddle. Cloud's brow furrowed as he pondered and Tifa smiled slightly at his focused expression. "Ah. Shinra!"

Tifa nodded, threading her hand through Cloud's as a reward for the right answer. "They couldn't bear to lose the last Cetra. So maybe Shinra will help us."

Zack still felt discouraged. "Rufus Shinra won't help us. He's got so much planned anyway, that he…he probably won't even listen to us…" This was so out-of-character for him. He was usually to optimistic one, the one who supported any plan, no matter how hopeless or crazy it seemed. But he felt empty, like the light was gone from his heart. It wasn't gone. Someone had stolen it.

Tifa was thinking again, Cloud looked down at her to see what she would do (since Tifa's actions up to that point seemed rather unpredictable). "We don't have to see Rufus in particular. We just…have to talk to someone with intelligence. Someone in security and recon and…" Her eyes lit up. Cloud looked both excited and wary. "_Tseng_."

Zack felt, if possible, even worse than before.

….

Tseng was reminiscent of a snake to Zack. He was cool, composed, and intelligent; but at the same time, one got the feeling that he was calculating and heartless, too smart for his own good and that he was just as likely to help as he was to sacrifice you for his own selfish gain. Zack disliked him for three reasons: one, he was both smart and untrustworthy; two, he was a Turk; three, Tseng was (not so subtly) in love with Aerith.

Somehow the three of them had managed to find Tseng's personal office, in the nicer portion of Edge (about a block from the new Shinra Headquarters), and, even more to their amazement, they found that he was still awake and working, even though it was almost midnight.

"Don't you ever go home?" Zack asked in astonishment after he had nearly broken down the door by way of knocking.

Tseng swiveled in his chair, and a professional smile was on his face. "Are you so eager for work that you came to me directly?" He was a businessman in his crisp suit, as opposed to Reno's careless nonchalance and Rude's bodyguard-esque persona. His dark eyes flashed in dark amusement as he studied his guests, and his black hair was pulled back to highlight his sharp features. He glanced to each of them in turn, his gaze lingering on Tifa. Cloud also noticed and shifted so that he was blocking her from direct sight. Tseng apparently found this highly amusing.

"How can I help you?"

Somewhere between exiting the church and seeing Tseng's face, Zack's anger had returned, and he felt like he was made of lava.

"Someone took Aerith."

Pain registered in Tseng's eyes for a quarter of a second, before he composed himself. "I know."

Tifa and Cloud looked shell-shocked. Tifa recovered first and her voice was half horror and half anger. "You knew? And you did nothing? Why Tseng?" She ran from behind Cloud and slammed her fist on his desk, leaving a small crater and sending papers fluttering to the ground.

Tseng watched her levelly.

Cloud was simmering, his face impassive, but his mako blue eyes blazing with the fire in his heart. Zack's fury had also increased at Tseng's apathy, like a powder keg, he was barely able to keep from exploding. So he let Tseng and Tifa do the talking because he did not trust himself to move without the chance of blowing the smooth Turk all to hell.

"Lockhart, forgive me if I seem emotionless, but I knew that sooner or later the three of you would come running in here with the fire of hell at your heels. Calm yourself, please. Besides, anger doesn't suit a pretty face." He smiled at her.

Cloud was so transparent with Tifa, and it was glaringly obvious that he trusted no man with her aside from Zack, Vincent, and himself. In two strides he was next to Tifa, an imposing presence for his sheer stoicism although his jealous eyes told another story. Zack joined them, just in case Tseng needed a reminder of whom he was dealing with.

"So…you know where she is?" Cloud's voice was a whisper, but sharp as a blade.

"I haven't heard you speak in quite some time, Cloud." Tseng smiled at him. "I have a vague idea. But the ones you're dealing with…I shudder to even think of them." He did shudder and Zack felt the fear replace the anger as quickly as winter took warmth.

"W-will they hurt her?" His voice shook with panic and he gripped the desk to the point where it almost snapped beneath his fingers. "Tseng! T-tell me! Will they hurt Aerith?"

Tseng shook his head and there was a look of true distress on his face. "I…truly don't know…I wish I did, for Aerith's sake, but I don't…" Zack felt as though he was about to collapse, but there was a pressure on his hips that did not allow him to give out. When he looked over, he saw that Tifa had her fist around the top of his belt, holding him aloft with one arm. Her brown eyes smoldered.

"Give us materia then. There is no way that anyone can be stronger than both Zack and Cloud." Her confidence in them was astounding. "We _will_ save her Tseng. Now please…tell us what you know."

Tseng was not about to argue with her. He folded his hands under his chin. "All I know are rumors. I've heard that there are men, dressed in black, swift and deadly as death that have been haunting the Ruins of Midgar. Whoever sees them is often attacked by monsters afterward. Only a few have survived long enough for this tale to reach my ears and even then I don't know if it is men or ghosts I'm chasing."

"So they're somewhere in Midgar?" Zack asked desperately. He was full ready at that point to raze the Ruins of Midgar to the ground, finishing what the collapse had started.

"Hold your fire!" Tseng said quickly. "I never said that. I said that they were most often _seen_ in Midgar. But…I've also heard from an…erm…an individual who runs recon for us in the Ruins that he's seen black shadows moving towards the North. Very fast too."

Zack didn't even have to ask who the mysterious individual was. The only two who could effectively scout the precarious Ruins were Vincent and Genesis Rhapsodos, Vincent for his ghostlike abilities like soaring and floating instead of walking, Genesis for his silence and ability to fly. And since Vincent was always on missions with Zack and company, that left enigmatic Genesis. Still, although he was slightly condescending and a lot possessive, Genesis was more trustworthy than Tseng.

"There aren't a lot of places to hide north of here…" Tifa said sensibly. "I can only assume that if, and only _if_, these monsters or men or whatever they are took Aerith, then they're taking her to the Northern Continent."

Tseng nodded in agreement, but Zack was roiling with so many thoughts and emotions that he couldn't even pretend to be positive. There were so many ifs in this course of action: the shadows could have gone in another direction further out, they could have already assaulted or killed Aerith, or maybe they did live in Midgar and the trek north would cost Zack precious time; or maybe Tseng's information was off and the black things were just some sort of creature or rogue monster or a figment of someone's imagination. Which meant someone else had Aerith and they would be out of clues. There were just so many things that could go wrong and Aerith's precious life hung in the balance.

Tifa looked to Zack. "I know I kind of forced myself and Cloud on this mission, but you're still in charge, Zack. It's your call. What do you want to do?" Cloud nodded in assent of this decision and Tseng watched Zack to see what he would decide.

Zack inhaled deeply, looking at his hands. Even clad in black gloves, they were enormous with large flat palms and strong fingers capable of untold feats of strength; his hands remembered the sensation of holding Aerith's small ones, and in those times he felt as though he could take on the world. He had sworn to himself that he would protect her, that even if the universe crashed down around them he would spend his last breath making sure she was safe from harm. He was not about to break that oath now, just because of his indecisiveness and lack of solid information.

"Even if it's just a rumor…I'll take it." He said in determination. "We're going to the Northern Continent."

Tseng smiled. "Excellent. I have several informants in the north, so if you carry your cell phones, I can send you any new information I receive. I'll also keep eyes peeled in Midgar…just in case." He selected a few papers from his desk and inspected them. "Tifa we have materia and items located in Storage Room C, which is in the basement to the left; take what you think you'll need, but for god's sake don't pull a Yuffie and take it all. I take it you already have transportation, but I can air in and get you a ride across the strait when you reach the coast."

Tifa nodded looking more at ease. "Thank you…Tseng." Cloud inclined his head by way of thanks before Tifa pulled him to him to the door. "We'll wait up for you, Zack." She grinned wide when he nodded.

Tseng smiled slightly. "She does have a certain power, Tifa does."

Zack agreed. "She's unstoppable." The atmosphere between Tseng and himself was a little awkward, so Zack inclined his head and began to turn towards the door. "Thanks for every-."

"Wait Zack." Tseng said, and there was some strong emotion in his voice that made Zack stop. Tseng was not like Cloud and Vincent. All three were similar in that took care to hide their inner emotions from the world, but while Cloud hid behind his apathy and Vincent shielded himself in doom and gloom, Tseng protected himself with a cool, businesslike persona. It was as if nothing could rattle his foundations or make him drop his poised, controlled aura. But there was real and raw emotion in his voice this time. "Wait please…"

With a sigh Tseng lowered himself into his office chair, pinching the bridge of his nose so that his fist obscured most of his face. "I'll have to get a new desk anyway…Look, Zack, I know that we have a _history_, and it's colorful, to say the least." He gave a short mirthless laugh. "But I hope you know that I still hold you in the highest regards."

"Thanks." Zack said. He did remember the better times with Tseng, when he was less uptight and could actually be relied on. That was a while ago though…

"I know…well, I hear things, and you must know by now that my…my feelings for Aerith Gainsborough are not entirely…_professional_." He cleared his throat and straightened his tie as though the topic made him uncomfortable. Zack clenched his jaw slightly at the reminder. "And I know that after all we've been through that I have no right to ask you for anything at all, much less a favor but…" Tseng looked up at Zack and the snake, the composed and unflappable Turk was gone. Instead, there was just a tired and desperate individual who was all alone in his worries. There was pleading in the very depths of his dark eyes. "Even if she doesn't love me a thousandth of what she feels for you, I do care about her safety. And not about her Cetra blood. I want Aerith, the woman, safe. Please, Zack…I implore you. I'll help you all I can. Please, bring her back."

Zack, at that moment, felt a flicker of hope, as though he could repair his friendship with Tseng. He gave his trademark rakish smile, like he didn't have a care in the world, far from the truth. "Don't worry. I already swore I would. I'm the hero, remember?"

Tseng composed himself and smiled, but it was all sarcasm. "Naturally. Go on then. No need to thank me. Call it 'a repayment of my debt to you'…"

Zack saluted before he turned to walk out the door and start his journey.


	3. Fear of Darkness, Cold as a Blade

** Author's Note: **Right now it seems that Zack really isn't himself. But just bear with it for a bit longer; he'll be himself in no time again and besides, after all he's been through, I think he can afford to be a little upset. (And, I love messing with Cloud. He is so cute.)

**Part 3: Fear of Darkness, Cold as a Blade**

_Aerith bit back her fear as they watched her with their haunting green eyes. They swore they wouldn't violate her, that they wouldn't kill her, that no harm would come to her while they were her protectors. But the fear was more potent than anything. _

_ Like cold fingers, the fear crept up from her belly, winding around her heart like thorny tendrils; it paralyzed her throat so that she could not even make a noise, and thus the fear consumed her, body and soul. It was a wonder that she could even breathe._

_ Strong arms wrapped around her torso in an embrace reminiscent of comfort but it only made her pain more acute. She wanted Zack…Zack…Zack…_

_ The one who held her for comfort patted her hand, his head rested over her heart. "Don't worry. We searched forever to find you. We won't let anyone touch you ever again. You're safe with us."_

_ Aerith wanted to cry out but her vocal chords were frozen with the fear…_

Zack sat straight up, trembling like a leaf, drenched in cold sweat. He struggled, thinking for a moment that he was being attacked, but after his eyes adjusted to the dark, he realized that the 'attacker' in question were his sheets; as like any hotel sheets, they were so tight it was as if he was being restrained…again. He hated the feeling of being restrained...of being strapped to a gurney...unable to move... When he realized that he was indeed safe, Zack gave a shuddering sigh and buried his head in his hands.

During the day he had been all fire and courage and well…himself. But once the darkness set in, he began to feel less optimistic, and that nightmare hadn't helped. Somehow he had a vague feeling that it wasn't just a figment of his overtaxed mind; the Lifestream was still very much in touch with the last Cetra and it was linking him to her.

"I'm hurrying." He promised to no one at all…and everyone.

There was a rustling from the adjoining bed and Zack remembered that he was currently staying in the hotel room with Cloud and Tifa. And Cloud was a notoriously light sleeper.

"Cloud?" Zack whispered, running his hands through his hair. He waited a few moments for a reply. Cloud stepped into Zack's line of view, his blonde hair sticking up in all directions, his blue eyes wide but glazed with sleep. Zack was fondly reminded of helpless Cloud, like a chocobo chick, right after they had escaped from Shinra. That had been many years ago and Cloud had acquired a somewhat icy nature, but whenever Zack saw him, he always remembered both the eager boy from Nibelheim and the catatonic Cloud who followed Zack like a duckling. The memory made him smile.

"Did I wake Tifa?" Zack asked, hugging his knees.

Cloud shook his head, blinking sleepily. "Are you ok?" Cloud was not very talkative but the slight shadows of expression that flashed across his face got more across than words ever could. "I heard you."

Zack averted his eyes. "I'm just so worried." He rubbed his eyes. "I mean, imagine if you lost Tifa…I can barely think…"

Cloud's face, even tinged with exhaustion, darkened at the thought of losing Tifa but he resumed himself a moment later. "You're stronger than me, Zack. You always have been…" When he looked up, his blue eyes burned with absolute trust. "If anyone can save Aerith, it will be you. And I'll be right behind you. I owe you…for saving me." Hesitantly, Cloud patted the top of Zack's black spikes. This was a huge development on Cloud's part; aside from Tifa, he hated touching people.

"Thanks for coming with me." Zack said appreciatively. "I don't think I could do this without the both of you…"

Cloud looked back at the sleeping form of Tifa. "Do you know where we'll go next?"

Zack, Cloud and Tifa had spent the entire day driving across the plains to the northern coast where Tseng made good on his promise to provide them with transport across the strait. They were staying in a tiny town outside of the Bone Village dig site, and that evening Zack had received word from Tseng. The message had been cryptic, at best, but Zack welcomed a clue nonetheless.

It had read: 'I have sent one of my informants in the North to the Bone Village and he'll meet you there tomorrow at noon, and for the love of god, don't be late. Be ready for a fight and prepare to defend Tifa. Transmission complete.'

Cloud, originally hearing the message, became rather sharp at the last bit about Tifa but Zack was more concerned with the possible information at this point…and so was Tifa.

"We have to try everything." Zack said. "It might be a long shot, but I'll take it. Will you trust me, Cloud?"

Cloud blinked. "Always." Zack felt happiness bubble up in him so much that it almost hurt. He ruffled Cloud's messy hair and laughed at his befuddled expression. Both men jumped as Tifa turned over, mumbling something that sounded very similar to Cloud's name. Cloud looked at Zack questioningly.

Zack smiled. "Go on. I feel better now…I'll see you tomorrow, Cloud."

Cloud nodded and was about to head back over to his bed, when he thought of something. "What was your nightmare about?"

Zack thought hard. "I…I can't remember…"

Cloud bit his thumb thoughtfully before returning to his bed. Zack gave a warm smile as he saw his dearest friend pull Tifa to his chest, protecting her even as she slept. Zack felt hope filling his heart again as he laid his head back down.

As he was on the verge of sleep, he heard Cloud's voice whisper in the darkness. "Zack?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm the gloomy one. You're much more normal when you're happy…"

Zack laughed silently. "Thanks Cloud."

….

The Bone Village would not be Zack's first choice of a meeting place for anyone of questionable origins. It was a dig site chock-full of precipitous cliffs, walkways that caved under the slightest pressure, and sharp bones and artifacts that jutted from the ground waiting to impale the first person unlucky enough to fall on them. And it had all been Tseng's idea.

Zack stretched out his shoulders, feeling much more optimistic this morning (although substantially pissed off at Tseng), but he could not say the same for Cloud.

He was on edge, more so than usual, keeping an eye on Tifa to make sure that no creature swooped in from above and stole her. Zack would have found the situation amusing, if he hadn't been so focused. The three of them had arrived a half an hour early, just to be safe, and it was rounding noon now. At the first sign of movement, Zack, Tifa, and Cloud were on edge, Cloud reaching for the hilt of his Fusion Sword.

Tifa made a noise of revulsion in her impressive chest at the sight of their informant.

He was a balding blond man in a wheelchair, a large cigar smoldering red between his teeth. He was not the intimidating one, but rather it was the two dozen or so Deepground soldiers that flanked his sides, their faces covered and guns out. Zack gripped the hilt of his Buster Sword.

"Don Corneo…" Tifa said with more disgust than Zack could have ever thought possible coming from her.

"Who?" He whispered.

Tifa gritted her teeth. "There was…an incident a few years ago, while you were off on some job, where I was looking for dirt on Shinra. I go to this guy down in the slums and um…well, long story short, he doesn't want me to leave. Cloud and Aerith came to get me out," Cloud's ears turned red and Zack made a mental note to get the whole story later. "So he had this vendetta against us for the longest time, and I think last year he tried to abduct Yuffie and Elena."

"Hence, the wheelchair." Zack said, his levels of revulsion also increasing. "I think I remember Genesis being unusually pissed one of those days…"

"It was either Genesis or Reno that destroyed his legs." Tifa said. "But why Deepground soldiers?"

"Well, if he's as well-informed as you say, then I'm guessing the Turks want him protected, and they can spare a few Deepgrounders."

"I don't like this." Was Cloud's only contribution to the conversation.

"Relax." Zack sighed, wondering how it was that they had a link to every shady person in the planet. "I'll do all the talking."

When Zack came abreast of the greasy looking Don, it was clear that the meeting was not going to go well for the simple reason that the Don had gotten an eyeful of Tifa. He hardly even glanced at Zack.

"You're the informant?" Zack asked loudly.

"I am. Those fucking Shinra dogs only agreed to keep me alive if I was their eyes and ears in the North. I'm practically a slave up here." With every movement of his fleshy mouth, cigar ashes scattered to the ground. The Deepground soldiers did not move.

"They tend to do that a lot, now-."

"Who is that exquisite woman with you? I feel like I've seen her before…" Zack moved so that he was obscuring Tifa from view; like an overprotective brother, he did not want this oily man ogling her. "Perhaps in the better days? Did she work at the inn?"

Zack's anger burned; he knew very well of the Honeybee Inn and its' reputation. "_Never_." His tone was sharp and though they didn't move, he could feel the Deepground soldiers' eyes boring into him. It was unsettling. "The Shinra Corporation, although employing underhanded tactics, still gets the job done. I was told you had information. And I'm kind of in a hurry."

Don Corneo waved his hand impatiently and Zack noted the glittering rings that fit snugly around his fat fingers. "I do like collecting things and information _is _one of them. What are you looking for in particular?"

Zack's heartbeat pounded in his ears. "Have you…has there been any sightings of men or creatures in black? Fast and illusive? Possibly…there might be a woman with them…against her will."

Don Corneo smiled in a way that made Zack want to hit him. "So…is the men you seek or the woman?" Zack shook with fury. "You don't have to answer. Now, let me think…shadows…always bode ill, they do. Shadow…"

Zack wanted to scream with impatience. He felt like he was so close…he just needed another clue. His fists shook with anticipation.

"Ah!" The Don's eyes lit up with somewhat twisted excitement. "I do recall hearing of some sinister goings on in the Sleeping Forest. There are rumors of darkness that rises from the ground in the shape of men. Voices…and noises…people are afraid of going close anymore. Perhaps your shadows, and your woman are hiding in the Forgotten City of the Cetra."

Zack's heart caught in his throat. It was too perfect. He smiled in exultation at his stroke of good fortune.

"Thank you!" He breathed. "Thank you. I don't know how to repay you…I will tell Tseng how you've helped us." Zack moved to return to Cloud and Tifa.

"I can think of a way…" Zack turned on his booted heel as the Don spoke, and there was light in his eyes that could not be named but was most sinister in nature. The shadows in the dig site moved and more Deepground soldiers came from the darkness. "I remember her now. Tifa Lockhart, the beauty from Sector Seven, I swore I wouldn't let her get away a second time." Ice, both fear and fury, fury beyond words, froze Zack in disbelief. "A woman for a woman. I swear, no harm will come to her. She will be my most precious thing…" Tifa was not a thing…

He heard Tifa and Cloud gasp in horror and the unmistakable sound of the Fusion Sword being drawn. These Deepgrounders were different; like beasts, they crawled on all fours, their mouths agape and slavering as they moved in a circle around Cloud and Tifa. The soldiers around Corneo had also drawn their guns and trained them on Zack's chest while the Don himself was looking as though he had won.

Zack breathed hard, his breath burning from the anger in his chest. He ignored the red lasers that glowed on his chest but glared hotly at the disgusting man in front of him. "I…I would rather search on my own than sell my friends for information." He drew his enormous sword. "I've already lost one woman. I won't lose another. So don't you even _try_ to touch Tifa!"

Looking quite amused by Zack's speech, Don Corneo motioned his troops to continue and Zack snarled, unsheathing his sword. The Don had numbers but Zack and Cloud were unparalleled and Tifa was no slouch herself. The Deepground soldiers moved like they were going to try and subdue him without the use of force.

"Just try, damn you." He hissed. Damn it all, Tseng…

When the first guard got close enough to the tip of Zack's sword, he moved, the mako in his DNA pumping into his muscles. Before anyone else could realize that he had moved at all, the soldier had been thrown over the edge of one of the crevasses. He jolted at the sound of Cloud and Tifa yelling as the creatures also attacked them. Zack fought the urge to race over to help them; he had his own problems.

The soldiers attacking him began to open fire and he swung his sword wildly, causing the bullets to ricochet throughout the site, hitting some of the attackers in front of him. When some of them paused to reload, Zack sprinted forward, slicing through them like wheat or sending them flying into the canyons and jutting bones. He leapt into the air as the gunfire started again, focusing all of his magic into his blade until it glowed the same bright blue as his eyes. With a shout that rang through the cracks in the earth, he slammed his sword into the ground, the force of impact causing the ground to veritably explode upward in a huge display of blue lights. It sent all of the remaining soldiers flying into the air and shot a screaming Don Corneo backwards, upending his wheelchair and spilling him onto the dirt. Zack did not wait around to see where the others landed as he yanked his sword from the earth and sprinted back down to where his friends were being swarmed.

Cloud's blade was pressed down by the combined weight of three of them, and by the time he found the strength to blast them backward, three more attacked him from the side. He cast a Fira spell and swung his sword around him, slicing off heads and arms and helmets.

Tifa's back was to Cloud as she beat the monsters to death. Nimble as a dancer, she dodged their clawed grasps and open jaws, responding with punches that could dislocate a head from its' spine and kicks that shattered the entire torso. While Cloud was trying not to be killed, Tifa was trying to avoid being caught as the sharp teeth snapped at her heels.

Zack landed in the gap between Tifa and Cloud, the earth cracking under his impact. He caught two soldiers in his hands and smashed their heads together, blood seeping from the cracks in their helmets as he threw them to the side. One monster leapt at him and he ducked in the nick of time, watching as it sailed over his head…and into Tifa, knocking her over the lip of the cliff.

"TIFA!" Cloud cried in anguish, his blue eyes wide.

"Blade!" Zack ordered, casting Haste on himself as he blasted a path to the edge of the canyon. With one move, Cloud's sword split open into multiple swords, effectively impaling several soldiers around him. He selected one and thrust it to Zack, who was already airborne.

Zack caught the sword as he was halfway over the scar in the earth and looked down into the darkness. His acute eyes almost instantly picked up the falling form of Tifa, thankfully not too far down. He threw Cloud's blade, and it spun at an angle in a deadly circle of steel through the air, sticking in the stone just below Tifa. With a sigh of relief, Zack saw as she twisted herself so that she landed gracefully on the exposed sword.

Using the power in her legs, she used the blade as a springboard and leapt up so that she reappeared on the battlefield, much to Cloud's joy.

Zack also backed up, digging his boots into the ground, before getting a running start and jumping back into the fray. Upon his landing, he smashed into two mindless monsters, cracking them nearly in half. It seemed as if the waves of them would never end, and Zack inwardly cursed Tseng for giving the Don so much muscle. At least he had warned them beforehand.

As he punched another freak that had been trying to rip his arm off, Zack had an idea that could pulverize their numbers…and probably most of the Bone Village as well.

"Cloud! Tifa!" He shouted as he channeled his mako energy into his fist. He raised it high as it began to glow blue and launched himself into the air. Tifa and Cloud followed suit, their fists also beginning to glow with whatever power they were using. It was not until the tendrils of light began to escape his knuckles that Zack yelled, "NOW!"

Together the three of them shot back towards the ground, pushing through the teeming mass of bodies until their power-infused fists connected with the earth. It was an explosion worthy of a SOLDIER. Earth, bones, artifacts half-buried in the earth, and creatures alike were blasted skyward as power pulsed through any minute crack in the ground. The floor rippled with the electric force, sending out shock waves that seemingly rattled the planet to the core. They had created a new crater by the time the dust had settled. The three of them landed amidst their handiwork, Cloud yanking his sword from the rubble.

Tifa looked up to where Don Corneo was still crawling away, in a panic after seeing his miniature army obliterated. "Why did he attack us?"

Zack looked down at Tifa's gentle face and he scratched his head. "He wanted um…to trade you for information…"

Cloud was seething, although his expression did not change, and he glared at the form of Don Corneo, perhaps wondering if it was worth the effort to go pulverize him. Tifa looked worried.

"Did you find out anything at all?"

"Yes." Zack said and Tifa looked immediately relieved. Zack swung his sword up over his shoulder. "Cloud go get your blade from the cliff and then come help us look for a Lunar Harp." He looked to the North where he imagined the serene white trees, marred by the living shadows. "We're going to the Forgotten City."


	4. The Skeleton Trees

** Author's Note:** Any idea of who took Aerith? If not, you'll find out in this chapter, and the song Zack is playing on the Lunar Harp is most definitely Aerith's Theme (I highly suggest looking a harp version up on Youtube; it's spectacularly calming).

**Part 4: The Skeleton Trees**

The Sleeping Forest was the picture of serenity. During the day the trees were luminous, like emeralds with dark navy leaves, and when the wind blew through the treetops, the leaves rustled and the branches creaked like whispers. The sun burned bright overhead, but the leaves allowed very little light through. Every sound was muffled, like the entire place was under a blanket; no birds could be heard, every twig that snapped underfoot was nearly silent, even speech was muted underneath the serene branches. Cloud seemed to love the silence there while Tifa marveled in the beauty of the jewel-like leaves.

Zack tried hard to like it. He really did. But silence and Zack did not keep good company and rather than feeling at ease in the Sleeping Forest, he was severely creeped out.

As the light began to fade from the sky, the trees, rather than becoming darker, began to glow whiter and whiter until the bark was glowing. Meanwhile, the leaves disappeared entirely, so that every tree looked bare and skeletal. The bark glowed so brightly that it was light as day out and white fireflies bobbed on the surfaces of the crystal ponds.

It felt as though they had not made any progress at all, even as the crescent moon rose higher in the sky.

Zack decided to call it a night after both Tifa and Cloud began to trudge leaning against one another. Cloud's blue eyes were half-open and he began to blink rapidly as Tifa stroked the blond hair from his forehead. Even as tired as she was, Tifa managed a smile for Zack as he looked behind him to see how they were doing. He sighed.

"We can rest here for the night. You two stay here and I'll go find some good drinking water." He didn't dare start a fire for two reasons, first because it was still bright enough to see and second, because he didn't dare burn any of the white wood.

Cloud gave an almost instant sigh of relief, sinking to the ground. Tifa knelt down next to him, pulling his head to her chest. Cloud slammed his blade into the ground and more than readily accepted the embrace, smiling as he was engulfed in what was probably the softest pair of pillows on earth. Zack smiled at his friend's happiness.

It was not hard to find water. Zack happened upon a small pool about five minutes from the campsite and he refilled six bottles worth, the water sparkling like a diamond in the white light. Somehow he knew it was going to be very sweet and refreshing.

The branches rustled above him and he looked up. The noise sounded like murmurs and Zack could not help himself.

"If the one I love is here…be prepared to give her up." He shook the water bottles in warning.

When he got close to the path, Zack stopped, as he heard Tifa and Cloud talking in muted voices. He didn't even dare to look out into the clearing, hearing what they were saying.

"Cloud." Tifa gasped breathily. "What if Zack comes back? You have to stop…We're tired…you have to save your strength! Cloud…" Tifa was too kind to rebuke him, Zack knew. "Cloud…"

"No." Cloud murmured softly. "Zack won't be back for a while…besides you almost got taken in front of my eyes today…I'm so jealous...I don't want anyone to take you away from me." Tifa tried to protest, but it was promptly silenced by what Zack imagined was a kiss. Alone with Tifa, Cloud became both touchy and talkative. "If anyone took you away from me…god, I would…I would get you back no matter what…"

"I know you would…" She said softly, returning the kiss. "Ok…we have to stop…" Cloud made a little noise of discontent and Tifa laughed. "I'm being _serious_."

"Me too. Just a bit longer…"

Zack wanted to laugh, but he turned away from the clearing and went back out to explore the woods. Heaven knew that if he had Aerith in his arms at that moment, he would most definitely want some time alone with her. He was willing to let Cloud be with Tifa as silent thanks. So he wandered through the forest until he found a place that suited him: an even smaller clearing with a calm pool and a fallen white tree that acted as a bench for him.

As he looked at his reflection in the water, Zack noted how much he had changed since his last mission: his spiky hair was longer than ever, his muscles were tighter, and there were slight hollows under his eyes. His eyes, however, had not lost any of their blue intensity and the mako energy seemed very strange in the natural surroundings.

Deciding after a very short minute that it was too quiet for his liking, Zack pulled the Lunar Harp from his pack and began to pluck it. Despite his restless nature, Zack actually was quite skilled with music and after a while the tune he was playing seemed to take on a comprehensive melody. It reminded him of Aerith: soft, sweet, and smooth like warm rain, and Zack felt his skin prickle at the thought of her. No matter where he was, she was always on his mind…As he continued to play, the harp pulsed in his hand like a heartbeat as he poured his emotion into the song, the trees and fireflies glowing even brighter with every note.

Zack leaned his head back, his temples in pain, but his fingers kept moving. "I'm coming to get you." He whispered, hugging the instrument to his chest, where it continued to flutter like a pulse. Soon…soon he wouldn't have to settle for a false heartbeat…

The leafless branches rustled above him…whispering…

….

When Zack, Cloud, and Tifa woke the next morning, it was to their great surprise that the forest had remained unchanged from the nighttime. Zack had wandered back to their camp at some point in the night to find Tifa and Cloud asleep next to each other, using Cloud's shirt as a pillow. Zack smiled at the both of them before also curling up on the ground to sleep, the Lunar Harp tucked securely under his arm. However, when the three of them rose, the sky was still dark, the trees still white and luminous…even though Zack's phone indicated that it was nine in the morning.

"What…_is_ this place?" Tifa asked, in awe, as she helped Cloud to his feet. Cloud was still half-asleep and, therefore, at a loss for words.

"We're close to the Forgotten City, the capital of the Cetra." Zack said, slinging his sword over his shoulder. "I don't think the Planet plays entirely by the rules here…Let's just keep going and stay alert. I feel like…" He looked up to the sky, devoid of stars, but still with the crescent moon directly overhead. "I feel like we're getting close…"

With every step Zack took, he felt a tug in his heart to wander even deeper into the dark forest. Whether it was the pull of the Lifestream, he did not know, but he was on edge and it was rubbing off on Cloud and Tifa. They too looked about wildly, like some beast was going to leap from the shadows. But there were no monsters here. There never had been.

Still, there was something to be said for caution.

Zack was so much on edge that he heard the anomaly almost instantly. With one swift motion, he halted and threw his arm out to stop Tifa and Cloud, which they did, in mid-stride. Zack tried to not even breathe loudly as he scanned the forest for anything…in particular, shadows that moved. Everything seemed peaceful, but Zack knew he'd heard something that was not the whispers.

"What is it, Zack?" Tifa asked, fists out, as she stood back-to-back with Cloud.

"I…" Zack heard branches creak ominously and a bead of sweat ran down his forehead. "I thought I…heard something…" He relaxed, although his heart still pounded and Cloud and Tifa followed suit. Zack scratched his hair. "It must have been my imagination…"

Tifa patted his shoulder. "It's ok. This place does play tricks on you."

Zack nodded, attempting to calm his racing heart. When he finally got it back down to a manageable level, he tightened his grip on his sword and took another step…He saw it flash by the corner of his eye: what looked to be a man dressed in all black, moving at an unnatural speed. Zack leapt backward with his next breath, yanking Tifa and Cloud backwards as well, just before bullets tore angrily through the space they had just inhabited. The white branches creaked again.

Zack repositioned himself, fury blazing in his body. "COME OUT!" He screamed, pulling out his sword and slicing it through the air. As a response, there was another volley of gunfire; Zack was prepared this time, slicing his sword deftly so that the bullets ricocheted off into the trees. "I COULD DO THIS ALL DAY!"

There was a sigh that was not the sound of the forest and the shadow dropped from the trees.

Zack had been expecting many things: a giant monster that could vanish into thin air, a man with glowing yellow eyes and sharp teeth, hell, even a creepy-as-fuck Deepground soldier would have suited his imagination better. Because the man in front of Zack, Tifa, and Cloud, with a smoking gun in one hand was nothing, if not beautiful.

He was tall and slim, with slender hips and limbs and a graceful neck, all of it covered in charcoal-colored leather. His features were delicate, even filled with wicked venom, and his face was framed by long silver hair. The only part about him that made Zack shiver was his eyes: thin and intense, they glowed green with a vertical, cat-like pupil. He grinned wickedly, beautiful and evil at once, and drew a second gun, pointing it at Zack's chest.

Zack glared and smiled simultaneously. One man. They could beat him.

As he moved forward to begin pursuit, Tifa gasped sharply accidentally stepping backwards into Zack as another man materialized from the shadows. Cloud drew his sword as a third person joined the fray and thus, they were surrounded.

The three of them could have been triplets. They all had shiny silver hair and greenish cat eyes that varied in degrees of evil, and all of them wore black leather body suits. But the man closest to Tifa was hulking and muscular with broad shoulders and huge hands, one clenched around some sort of claw that fizzled electric at the tips. Meanwhile, the one near Cloud seemed more like a child than a man; the shortest of the three, he had hair to his chin and an unstable smile as he gripped his double-bladed sword like he itched to run it through something.

Zack took his hand that was not on the sword and displayed the materia he held there. Cloud and Tifa accepted several orbs and pressed them softly into their forearms, Zack doing the same. The three men stared at them levelly ad the orbs sank into their skin but continued to glow underneath.

Zack shook out his body, feeling the anger and power course through his veins in tandem. "So, who do you want? Beauty," the one with the guns grinned. "Beast," the muscular man cracked his knuckles in excitement. "or Boy?" The shorter one glared in apparent dislike of his nickname.

"Beauty." Tifa said, switching places with Zack.

"Beast." Cloud murmured, burning with impatience.

Zack sighed and pointed his blade at the smallest one. "Looks like I'm stuck with you then. Unless you want to give up Aerith now?"

There was motion on all sides as apparently Aerith's name was a trigger. That incited Zack all the more. The little one was _fast_. Fucking, _blindingly_ fast. In fact, if Zack had not been a genetically enhanced SOLDIER, it would have been really hard to keep up with the rapid movements of the slender guy.

In one moment he was in front of Zack, and in the next, Zack heard the sound of crunching gravel behind him, moving just quickly enough to avoid the razor-sharp bite of a double-bladed sword. Then, with mako energy swirling in his body, Zack sidestepped his shadowy opponent with grace that seemed to defy his build, and took a slash with his Buster Sword. Swift as a viper, the demon bounced up into the air, and the power from the blade sundered three trees in its' path sending white bark, like crystal, falling to the ground.

So the two of them continued their deadly dance, felling several trees in the process.

Even then, there were more hazards for Zack to avoid than just his own opponent. The other fights were also creating some interesting problems. Stray bullets from the tall beauty tore past them while Tifa's earth-shaking punches and kicks seemed to rattle the entire forest. Meanwhile, Cloud and his sparring partner seemed to throw strategy to the sticking place and were just destroying anything close to one another. Trees fell like wheat around them, torn from the roots by the claw-like weapon and sliced in half by the Fusion Sword, while the ground splintered under their impact.

Fights for all three groups were often brought into the air, into tree branches, and sidestepping giant cracks and craters in the earth.

Zack winced with every rupturing change in the earth, every fallen tree as the Sleeping Forest creaked and groaned in pain. He felt horrible for the violent destruction of the woods, but Aerith's rescue was first and foremost in his mind.

Upon the next swing, his sword was caught between the two blades of his attacker, and the slender man pulled him close, with surprising strength.

Zack gritted his teeth as he summoned a Blizzaga spell. "Where. Is. She?"

The shadowy man's eyes shot death but he smiled cruelly. "You can't have her back. She belongs with us. Leave this place or I'll kill you all."

Zack shook with fury and the magic built up inside him until it was near to bursting. "THE. HELL. I. WILL!" Blue ice shot like arrows through the air, blasting Zack away from the kidnapper, both of their blades sticking into the trunk of a white tree. Zack ignored it, and raced at the man in black, ready to rip his head from his slender neck.

Unfortunately, the slender shadow was just as fast dodging punches as he was swings from a blade. But Zack was a first class SOLDIER and he refused to let the wicked thing get away alive. Finally, Zack felt his hand close around a slender, leather-clad ankle and he slammed the body into the ground with all the strength in his body. His fist blazed with fire magic as he held it, coiled like a spring, just inches from the pretty face of the shadowy fighter.

"Aerith. Is. Mine." He hissed. "Give her back to me, or I swear to god, I'll beat you to death." The fights between Tifa and the gunner and Cloud and the behemoth raged around them, but Zack did not even notice. He was in his own world of rage.

Even though he was bleeding profusely, the man managed a cruel smile, mocking Zack. Zack screamed and pulled his fist back for impact.

"ZACK!"

Zack dropped his arm instantly and looked to the path, where he saw a flash of chestnut. Aerith, face pink and barefoot, ran toward the battles without fear, her green eyes wide with the strange mix of happiness and fear. But she was safe; that was all that mattered. Zack felt his breath catch in his chest as he got to his feet, the fights and anger forgotten. Angelic Aerith filled his vision.

"Zack! Stop the fighting!" She cried, running even faster to stop the insanity. "Kadaj! Stop this!"

As if in slow-motion, Zack saw in the corner of his eye Tifa hitting the arm of the gunner and a single shot was fired, ripping through the air, and hitting Aerith somewhere in the upper torso. She gasped, sharp and high-pitched before falling backwards against the hard ground of the forest. Zack felt all the oxygen leave him as she hit the earth.

"AERITH!" Zack bellowed racing towards her. All he could see was her body, limp on the ground; he didn't even notice as the fighting had ceased around him. The man with the long hair looked horrified, dropping his gun as if it had burned him.

"_MOTHER_!" Screamed the slender man, outstripping even Zack as he raced to Aerith's side. "MOTHER!"

Tifa looked to Cloud in shock and amazement. "… 'Mother'…?" Zack halted in horror.

What the hell was going on?


	5. The Pains of Sudden Fatherhood

**Author's Note: **The story possibilities of having Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo are endless, especially since they'd probably hate Zack and do anything to get between him and Aerith; this story has become far more humorous than I originally intended…

**Part 5: The Pains of Sudden Fatherhood**

When Zack regained his senses enough to finally lurch the final few feet to Aerith, she had already been scooped into the arms of muscular man, who looked as though he was about to break into tears. Zack's assailant (whose name he took to be 'Kadaj') was kneeling next to Aerith, his fists trembling in rage as he glared at the long-haired beauty. The shooter was contrite, his head bowed in shame; fortunately, the bullet had only hit Aerith in the right shoulder and she unsurprisingly was consoling all of them.

"Loz, please don't cry. Ah! Don't grip me so tight… Kadaj, stop glaring, Yazoo didn't mean to…"

Zack was amazed at he benevolence toward the men who held her captive, but he elbowed his way past the three of them. Aerith smiled radiantly as soon as she caught sight of Zack and reached for him, her shoulder bleeding profusely. He had forgotten just how green her eyes were, the happiness in her smile, how she lit up when she saw him. Zack ignored the three sets of glares as he took Aerith back into his arms.

Having her pressed right up against him felt like the most natural thing in the world and Zack kissed her shoulders and neck and cheeks and basically anything he could get his lips on. He didn't care that blood was dripping onto his clothes, only that she was here, alive, with him.

"Who are you?" Kadaj asked venomously. "And how do you know Mother?"

Cloud and Tifa came up next to Zack who was fuming and happy at once. "Why the hell do you keep calling her 'mother'? She's too young to be the mother of any of you! You're all just insane!" He held her closer and Aerith gave a sharp cry as Zack held her tighter.

Kadaj and Loz both got to their feet, eyes blazing green fire. "You hurt Mother!" Zack felt Cloud and Tifa stand defensively on either side of him. "Give her back to us immediately!"

Zack, Cloud, Kadaj, and Loz all started shouting at each other, Yazoo glaring while Tifa was struggling to find a potion in one of her pockets. Everyone stopped as Aerith cried out, as if in pain. Everyone hovered to see what was the matter.

"Please, all of you stop!" She gasped, her face a little pale. "I can explain this all…" She took a deep breath and Zack accepted the open potion from Tifa. "Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo did kidnap me and bring me here. They're born from the shadows of the Earth, remnants of some strong force; they're only a week or so old and they sought out the person with the closest connection with the Earth. That's why the keep calling me 'Mother'. I'm not really their mother. I'm just the closest relation they have, since the four of us have a strong tie to the Planet…"

Gently as was possible, Zack poured the green, curing liquid on the hole in Aerith's shoulder. Thankfully, the bullet had gone completely through her, so that he did not have to go through the painful process of removing it. Even so, Aerith flinched as muscle, bone, and sinew began to grow over the hole.

"Did you want to stay with them?" Zack asked, his heart beating painfully.

"Not in particular." Aerith admitted stroking the scar on Zack's cheek. "I wanted to come back to you and show you I was ok. The three of them treated me just fine, even if they are a little clingy. They're just like children and they wouldn't let me out of their sight…" The only thing left from the bullet wound was the blood on her arm. "I'm fine, really. I was only worried about you, Zack," He helped her to her feet, but he still wrapped his arms around her waist in a vice-like grip. "I knew you would be so scared. It really tortured me…"

Zack lifted her up by her waist, kissing her full on the mouth and he felt a tear roll down her cheek.

Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo made noises of anger, poison reflecting in their attractive faces. Zack ignored them until he was good and ready to finish the kiss. When he set her back down, Cloud was turning away, his ears pink, while Tifa's smile practically glowed. Kadaj's gloved fist was clenched in what appeared to be jealousy.

"Mother! Who is this man?" He looked like he wanted to hit Zack.

"This is Zack." She said his name with so much love that it made Zack's eyes roll back in his head a little. "He is…"

"Call me 'Father'." Zack said playfully, delighting in the look of extreme horror the three of them gave him as they realized his relationship with Aerith. "I love her more than anything on this planet. And not even you three can take her from me." Aerith blushed bright pink as Zack pulled her up against him, possessively.

"Are you going back with him, Mother?" Yazoo asked, looking torn between loathing, alarm, and sorrow.

"You can't, Mother!" The big fellow, Loz, cried, scrambling closer to Zack and Aerith. Zack turned so that he was half-shielding her; Loz was childish, but he was an imposing figure. "It's so dangerous out in those Ruins. Even in Edge. That's why we took you out here, so that no one could hurt you! You can't go back there…you'll get killed Mother!" He was actually tearing up a little.

Cloud narrowed his eyes. "Zack protects her."

Kadaj laughed derisively, and Zack decided that he liked Kadaj least of the three. "He's no kind of protection." Everyone erupted into arguments, Zack hoisting Aerith higher until he was actually holding her a few inches above the ground. Aerith became more and more frazzled as she attempted to calm everyone, but she was simply too soft-spoken to speak above the shouting. Finally, Tifa noticed and used the materia in her forearms to power up her fist until it glowed white.

"QUIET!" She yelled landing one solid punch in the ground that knocked all of them off their feet. Cloud looked to be in shock that gentle Tifa could yell so furiously. Tifa winked at Aerith. "All yours."

"Thank you." Aerith breathed. "Please listen to me. I'm going back to Edge. It's my home." Zack set her down and she pressed her hands over her heart. "But…I would like it if the three of you came back with us." Zack yelped and Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo's expressions went from intense disbelief to thoughtful. "That way you can still protect me, ok?"

"Aerith!" Zack whispered. "T-They _kidnapped_ you!"

"And if you take me away, they might do it again." She said sensibly. "Look, you've seen how dangerous they are and they're simple, like children. I don't want them to be left alone; they might hurt people. At least they'll listen to me…and besides, Rufus might be able find a way to keep them busy." She looked up at him, unintentionally melting his argument with those beautiful eyes of hers. "Please. Please Zack?"

Zack groaned and Cloud looked at him as though he was insane for even considering this option. "If you think for one second that they can live with us, then you are sorely mistaken…" He twisted his lips at the sight of the silver haired siblings. "All right. I'm taking Aerith back to Edge, whether you like it or not." Kadaj snarled. "If you want to continue protecting her…by all means, come with us."

Cloud shook his head in disbelief as Loz grinned widely. "I'll go get our things!"

Yazoo watched him sprint off at blinding speed, before curling some of his hair behind his ear. Very softly, he walked over to Aerith and wiped the drying blood from her arm with his glove. He was so beautiful that Zack was momentarily dazzled with the fact that the person in front of him was male.

"Forgive me for shooting you, Mother." He said, bowing his head.

Aerith, forgiving as an angel, stroked his hair. "Go on Yazoo." He smiled at Aerith, but his green eyes narrowed a bit when he caught sight of Zack. Zack had the ominous feeling that he was going to have to get used to it.

As Yazoo walked, reminiscent of a model, into the darkness only Kadaj was left. He shuffled forward, a look of jealousy on his delicate face as his green eyes burned. Zack could tell that Aerith was struggling to hold back laughter as Kadaj's glare burned into Zack's eyes. With a face that looked as though he had swallowed something bitter, Kadaj turned on his booted heel and sprinted towards the Forgotten Capital.

"Oooh, I don't like him." Cloud hissed. "Are you hurt Tifa?"

"I have to agree with you there." Zack said. "Are you sure about this Aerith?" Without warning, Aerith stood on her toes and yanked Zack's head down, smashing his lips against hers. Cloud and Tifa could not wait to leave, excusing themselves to be anywhere but there.

"You came all his way to get me." Aerith sighed placing her headd over Zack's pounding heart. "It only took you five days to find me, even without me leaving you any sort of clues. You're…amazing…"

Zack knelt so that he was at eye-level with her and attempted to speak, even though she persisted in kissing him continuously. "You have…no idea…how worried…I was! I could hardly…sleep…" He had more to say, but he preferred her kisses to hearing himself speak. "Let's…get off…this damn…path…" He seriously doubted that Shinra had given him all his power so that he could carry Aerith Gainsborough, but god was it handy…

The closest clearing they came to, Aerith struggled to get down, and promptly began to pull at Zack's suspenders. He gasped for air and slid his sweater up over his head. He was surprisingly nervous.

"What about…those three…?" He gasped, but pulled her closer. "We have three annoying 'kids' now. Aren't you afraid they'll walk in on us?" He honestly didn't care much, but he liked milking the whole 'Mother' thing. As he finished the question, he found himself shirtless up against one of the white trees. Aerith had always adored Zack's torso, all quivering muscle, even though it looked like a patchwork quilt from all the scars he had received. Even now she ran her tongue underneath his pecs as they shook with his labored breathing.

Aerith and Zack had both become so experienced that Aerith could turn him on even if she was fully clothed. When she pouted those silky lips of hers and opened her eyes as wide as they would go so that he would be consumed into the green faster, Zack could not help but want to coat her in kisses and sweat. He unbraided her hair as softly as if he had been stripping her of her undergarments, reveling in the soft waves.

"I don't care." She said lovingly. "I don't care. I haven't seen you for so long and now I finally have you back in my arms. I've been so lonely." She ran her tongue up over his left nipple, up his throat and back into his mouth.

Zack pulled back with a gulp of air, some her saliva still on his lips. "That's my line." One of his large hands shot to her waist and began to massage her soft crotch in the way he knew she liked. She pressed her hips into the palm of his hand where they fit perfectly. She was so delicate…

Aerith slid the straps of her dress down her shoulders as an invitation. "That's why I keep telling you…to bring me on your missions. I don't mind the danger…If today's any indication, you'll come save me…" Her legs twitched with pleasure.

Zack took the bait and slid the top of her pale dress down to her hips, leaving her top half bare and glowing pink before his eyes. "You're so troublesome. What if I get captured?"

"I'll come save _you_ then…" Aerith's slender body was worthy of a goddess: a long torso with delicate ribs and two soft curves that bounced when she breathed. Even having Zack stare at her was making her heated and she ran her hands down her neck and chest in hopes to alleviate her burning. Zack could hardly resist (he too had gone for more than three weeks without feeling her in his arms) and he slammed his lips against her chest. It was so warm that Zack felt his face flush darker as soon as the soft skin there pressed against his cheeks. The nipple there hardened immediately and he rolled it expertly around his tongue.

He pulled his lips away just to ask. "Since our 'kids' are only a week old, if I suck on these," he stroked a circle around her nipple. "Will milk come out?"

Aerith arched her back to get Zack closer. "Don't tease me, Zack Fair! I-Ah! I know where…you live…!" Zack pulled her stomach up against his and continued sucking insolently, trying to coax anything out of her, as he proceeded to slide her dress down further. She began to give him a scalp massage as he got rid of the dress entirely, his hand rubbing skin like wet satin.

Zack kicked off his boots and heard them splash into the water, but he could give a damn as his legs convulsed to be free from his trousers. Aerith helped, yanking them off entirely and thrusting her hot hips into his. Zack released her chest in a guttural cry that shook his limbs.

"Wow. It _has_ been a while…" He breathed, feeling the hot liquid pool between his legs impatiently.

"Don't stop!" Aerith cried, wrapping her arms around his neck. Music to his ears.

Thinking he heard someone traipsing through the forest, Zack pulled her head up next to his. "Regardless of whether or not we mind getting caught…we might have to hurry…"

Aerith pulled back before kissing him deeply. "Then hurry…"

Aerith dug her fingernails into the bark of the white tree as Zack pushed up into her. Over the years he had slept with her, Aerith had retained the imprint of him inside her and now she was perfectly tight around him. It never got old.

Zack's eyes rolled back in his head a little as she rode him, their wet hips slapping against each other, the mahogany hair at her crotch tickling the skin of his lower abs, and vice versa. Zack rested his head on her breasts, a thousand times better than his pillows at home, his breath and tongue hitting her as she pulled at his spiky hair. Zack rocked his hips hard; he had poor self-control, but he enjoyed drawing out sex for as long as possible.

"D-Don't…leave me…again!" Zack pleaded, licking her cheek and the soft curl there. "I…I want to…stay with you…forever…"

Aerith pulled back, her chest bouncing with Zack's thrusts, and her green eyes glowed with emotion. She smiled, showcasing her beautiful white teeth. "Always… I won't leave you… You're always…the first in my heart…" Her sweet words were almost as potent as the lustful innocence of her body.

Zack's toes curled back in release, and his scream of pleasure gurgled in his throat as he almost lost consciousness. He had forgotten how _good _it felt. No…it wasn't that he had forgotten, it just seemed that…every time was better than the last. It never got old feeling Aerith everywhere around him, like she was holding him together when it felt like he was falling apart at the seams.

Aerith rubbed the sweat from his body with her cool hands, sweat dripping from the tips of her pretty pink breasts and chestnut hair. She rubbed her lips down his muscles, over his sweaty jaw, on his dry lips. Her tongue wetted his lips and he returned the favor.

"Do you need me to carry you?" Zack asked finally. It was by accident sometimes that he thrust too hard, his strong muscles doing damage and made it hard for Aerith to walk. She rarely complained though; she knew Zack hadn't wanted such power and he loved her all the more for her acceptance. She shook her head and smiled, her knees shaking a little as she got to her feet. Zack held her legs steady as she retrieved her dress. He would catch her if she fell.

"I'm sorry we had to rush this," Zack said, stroking her wavy hair after hoisting his pants back up. "But when we get back, I'll shower you with attention. Hell, we can even take a vacation away from everyone. Somewhere warm and not north." He was throughly sick of the Northern Continent and would be glad if he didn't have to see it again for a good long time. The white trees made noises almost like giggling.

Aerith grinned as he swept her up anyway. "What about Rufus Shinra? Won't he be mad if you miss a mission?"

Zack shrugged before kissing her passionately on the lips. "Screw him." After this ordeal, dealing with a pissed off Rufus would be as easy as breathing.


	6. The Scent of Sunlight

**Author's Note: **Just a little bonus sexcapade chapter for my own…Zack's benefit, mostly because I love the dynamics between Zack and Aerith. And also because I feel that, after finding Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo, that the two of them would never have a quiet minute alone.

**Part 6: The Scent of Sunlight**

Zack marveled in the feeling of his skin cooking under the hot sun of the Costa del Sol. After being in cool forests and crowded cities for so long, being on the lush beach was paradise. It also helped that Aerith was lying next to him. In a pink bikini. He had spent most of his time just staring at her.

The two of them were taking a long, all-expense-paid trip, courtesy of the Shinra Corporation (but mostly Tseng) out of thanks for rescuing the last Cetra from the silver triplets. The triplets in question, had also been employed by Shinra to help Genesis run recon on the Ruins of Midgar because of their ghost-like ability to get from place to place. They were a near-constant thorn in Zack's side; the biggest of the three, intimidating Loz, was actually the least annoying, although he refused to leave Aerith's side when she came to visit them. Tall and beautiful Yazoo was the definition of polite and poised, but even he regarded Zack icily, tolerating him only because Aerith loved him so much. The final one, and the biggest pain in the ass, was Kadaj; like a crazed child he was extremely possessive of his 'mother' and he made it clear to Zack with every breath in his skinny body that his jealousy ran deep. He took every instance to make Zack's life a living hell.

Zack was glad for a break from all of them. Cloud and Tifa had also chosen taken a holiday somewhere in the south, in an undisclosed location. This was because Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo had also taken a wicked liking to Cloud, calling him 'brother', following him around, and generally just pestering him within an inch of his already frayed sanity. It would not have surprised Zack in the least if they had followed Cloud.

Zack dug his feet in the white sand, marveling at the feeling as he wiggled his toes.

The last time he had been to the Costa Del Sol, he had practically been a prisoner and had been bored out of his mind. But now, Aerith was with him, also taking in the sun, her skin getting darker and less pink.

"Should we get watermelon later?" He asked, feeling more excited by the second.

Aerith smiled up at him, opening only one of her green eyes. "No matter how old you get, you still act like a little boy sometimes. I love it. It reminds me of when we were teenagers."

Invigorated by her praise, Zack got to his feet. "Watermelon tastes best on the beach! We have to steal it too!" Aerith outright laughed at both the statement and the insane glee in his blue eyes. He slid up on his knees so that his nose was nearly touching hers. "It's more fun that way."

"It's wrong to steal." She chastised, but the mischievous glint in her eyes was impossible to ignore. Zack grinned broadly and kissed the corner of her mouth.

"You don't have to." He said kissing her nose. "I'll do all the work. You just have to come along. And help me eat it." She shook her head in disbelief, but the smile was still there.

"Fine."

"All right!" Zack bounced up into the air before hoisting Aerith up. "Let's go swimming!" Hand in had with Aerith, he sprinted to the teal surf, yelping as the salty water slammed up against him. Part of him, at that moment, never wanted to go back to Edge.

….

It was nighttime when Zack and Aerith stole their watermelon.

Zack knew of a fruit farm not far from the village by the coast, so he and Aerith had run barefoot along the dirt road, guided by the light of an almost full moon. Aerith stood watch by the fence as Zack vaulted over it easily, yelping as his foot went through one of the watermelons, shattering it completely. He heard Aerith trying very hard to muffle her laughter.

Fast as he could, Zack began to sift through the endless field of fruit, finally choosing one and yanking it out of the ground. So excited was he to get his prize back to Aerith that he nearly tripped, doing a demented dance to regain his balance and not smash anything else.

"Go, go!" He hissed, leaping back onto the path and Aerith jumped, a smile on her face as the two of them took off down the road with the fire of hell at their heels. They hadn't been heard, but it was just more fun to pretend as if they were being chased. By the time they made it back to the beach, Aerith and Zack were both sweating and panting, Zack dropping the green globe in the sand, creating a small crater.

He slid his shirt up over his head, throwing it atop the watermelon. "Let's cool off and then eat."

Aerith smiled. "What about sharks?"

Zack looked at the sea; during the day it was the most dazzling shade of teal, but at night it flashed indigo, cool and soft. It looked so harmless and serene. "After all I've been through, sharks are the least of my worries. Come on!"

Aerith did not bother to remove her light pink sundress as she raced neck-in-neck with Zack. The surf hit the two of them softly, lifting them completely off the sandy bottom and, out of force of habit, Zack pulled Aerith to his chest. Her skirt swirled around her stomach and her dark hair fanned out in the water like tentacles.

They swam out until only Zack could still touch and when they looked to the horizon well…it never ended. It was as if they were floating on the edge of the world.

Zack wetted his hand and slicked his hair back. "This I can deal with…so beautiful…"

"It's hard to believe sometimes that something so pretty can be in a world that's so desolate." Aerith murmured, continuing to slick back Zack's hair.

"Well, you're here aren't you?" Zack said grinning devilishly. "You're more beautiful than this place. And any place I've ever been. Any place I will be…I'll always look around and say 'Hm. This place is gorgeous. But compared to wherever Aerith is, it just doesn't hold a candle'. That should make you feel better when I have to go on those stupid missions again, right?"

He looked at Aerith expecting a smile. She was smiling, her shoulders shaking in silent laughter. But much to Zack's shock, as she was smiling, Aerith began to tear up until she was all-out crying. Zack, frozen in horror, wondered what exactly he had said wrong.

"I-I'm sorry!" Aerith sobbed covering her face with her hands. "It just…I always feel like you and I cheated death…! Every time you go…I don't want you to! I…I feel like you won't come back…! Why? Why are you always leaving? Don't leave m-me anymore…! I feel so s-scared!"

"Don't be scared!" Zack pleaded, attempting to pry her hands away. "Everyone is working so hard to protect you. Aerith…"

"Yes, Cloud and Barrett and Vincent and Shinra and those three can p-protect me…but I only want you t-to!"

Zack felt his eyes go wide and his temples hurt, as he wanted to cry at her sorrow. Finally, he pulled her forehead up against his and closed his eyes.

"Do you know why I leave?" He whispered softly. "It's because I want to stay with you forever." His breath hit her lips. "I never want to be away from you Aerith Gainsborough. Every day, I want to see you first thing and know that you'll be safe. But I have to go on these missions. I want there to be nothing on this Planet that could ever hurt you." He kissed her trembling fingers. "I love you…"

She dropped her hands and the tears had not stopped. But she was more at peace. "I love you too."

Zack smiled, wiping the tears away with his thumbs. "Do you really not want me to go on more missions? Tell me honestly."

Aerith blushed and shook her head. "I…I don't. Don't go."

Zack grinned even wider. "Then I won't." Aerith gave a small gasp, confusion on her face. "I won't go anymore. I won't go. I'll tell Tseng. I'll go to Rufus." He kissed her so softly. "I won't go anymore…" It was a load off of his shoulders, honestly.

"You won't go?" Aerith repeated shocked out of crying and Zack nodded. "You won't…even if Rufus begs? Or Tseng? Or Cloud?" Zack shook his head, very nearly laughing at the feeling of lightness in his chest. Aerith started giggling, her features lighting up with happiness. "You won't go back! Even if we get evicted or run out of money?"

Zack laughed in shock. "That would suck, but yeah!" She continued to cry but it seemed like they were joyous tears and Zack spun her around, reveling in her happiness. "Ask me anything, and I'll do it for you."

Aerith tilted her head just so the moonlight highlighted her features just right, her wet hair cascading over her shoulder. She put her arms around his neck and (though it was probably the most inopportune time for noticing such things) Zack noticed that he could see completely through her wet dress. He forced himself to look into her eyes. God they were so _green_…

"Will you…kiss me?"

Zack practically slammed his head into hers he was so willing. It was one of those wet, sloppy puppy kisses he gave when he was too excited, but at least it made her laugh. "You don't even have to ask!" He replied after pulling away.

Aerith shrugged. "Ok." Before she dove back in, sucking his tongue into her mouth and biting it softly so that he could not get it out again. Zack began to whine as he could not breathe and only then did she release him.

"Beach." They both said at the exact same time.

Unfortunately, Zack could not run vary fast in the water and as he got Aerith to shore, a small wave broke on his head, causing him to rise sputtering as his black hair obscured his face. Aerith laughed like bells and Zack simply shook his head like a dog, send salt water flying every which way. When his vision was cleared, he continued to clamber onto the beach and looked for Aerith.

It was the next of many mistakes he had made throughout the night.

Despite the fact that Zack's imaginings of a mermaid would have sun-kissed skin and thick blonde hair, Aerith could have given the creature a run for her money.

Her long legs were still half in the tide, pale against the color of the sea but dark in comparison to the sand. Her wet dress clung like a second skin to the tops of her thighs and slid down around her shoulders, while at the same time it was entirely see-through. Zack's heart dropped to his pelvic region as he noted that she had not seen fit to wear underwear or a bathing suit that evening. Even though he had seen her dressed and undressed, watched her body at every angle, he never got tired of seeing it.

Her long hair was everywhere: dripping over her shoulders in wavy coils, moving gently like strands of silk in the tide, and sticking to her face. She looked at him from under her eyelashes and Zack groaned.

"Like I said," He pushed himself out of the water, sliding up next to her. "I'll do anything you want." Aerith smiled as he kissed her.

Wet clothes were highly annoying, Zack found as he attempted to slide her dress up over her head. It wouldn't move much above her ribs. And Aerith cried out in laughter as he took the seam between his hands.

He sounded crazy. "If I can't get this off, I'm going to have to rip it."

Aerith giggled and helped him relieve her of the torturous garment. He wasted no time. Pushing her solidly into the sand using only his hips, Zack tried to get good footing, which was hard in the moving ground. Aerith also tried to find purchase, her slender feet sinking into the wet sand.

Zack ran his tongue along her cheeks, Aerith's sweet taste mixing with the salt from the sea and her tears, and she gave long shuddering gasps as he did so. Her lips tasted salty too and Zack ran his tongue up and down her lips, inside her mouth, down her neck.

It was warm out, so the water had not chilled her skin, and her pores exuded heat from hours of soaking in the sun. Zack ran his nose and lips around her breasts as she began to return the favor by licking and kissing his forehead, running her fingers through his hair. He liked being petted…just like a dog.

"Choose, tongue or hands?" He asked breathily, resting his head on her trembling sternum.

"Surprise me."

Zack smiled, his blue eyes glistening with excitement, as he began running the very edges of his lips around her breasts; if the water hadn't made her get goosebumps, the feeling of his touch certainly did. Meanwhile, he pulled her hips to his with one hand, using the other to trace her legs and hips with the lightest touch he could manage. She convulsed.

"Don't tease me!" She gasped, trying to get closer to his hands. When he laughed before kissing her, Aerith made the cutest face of determination and grasped Zack between the legs.

He howled. "No…fair!"

"Zack…Fair…" She gasped with pleasure and laughter. Zack was having a hard time concentrating. She owned him; he was literally almost putty in the palms of her hands, and the fact that his shorts were wet and, therefore, tight was not helping in the least.

"Yell…when you want me…to stop…" She breathed, nipping his earlobe and Zack groaned. He did not want to be the first to give in, but it was so hot out.

"I…give…up!" He finally gasped, pushing his hips hard into her hands and she yelped as she sank deeper into the sand. In one motion, Zack pulled her from the sand and slid out of his bathing suit shorts without a care as to whether or not they would be swept away by the ocean. "Ready?"

"Don't…ask!" She exclaimed and Zack pushed up as Aerith accepted him, body and soul. He sighed in relief at the feeling, warm and wet and smooth, pulsing with her heartbeat and her breath. She squeezed him and he throbbed almost painfully, crying out as he pushed in deeper. Aerith wrapped her legs around him, perhaps to keep from sinking deeper into the sand as he pushed harder and harder.

It was almost painful it felt so good. Every thrust deeper had Zack moaning, whether from pain or pleasure, he did not know. Aerith clawed and kissed his shoulders.

"Zack?"

"Yeah?"

"We'll…always be…together. Right?"

He saw the Lifestream in her eyes. Maybe one day his (real) babies would have those brilliant green irises. Maybe they would have his violent blue ones. But either way, Zack Fair and Aerith Gainsborough were filled with power from the Earth, so much so that nothing, not even death could keep them from each other. He knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

"Always." He kissed her sweaty forehead and the two of them continued their passionate dance, intertwined like the strands of the Lifestream. Beauty…sheer and utter beauty was all it was.

Aerith gave a gurgled cry as she came, the tide cooling her heated insides as it slapped up against them. Zack followed, gripping fistfuls of her beautiful soft hair, before just staring at her. She was so gorgeous, flushed pink, sweating and heaving, her eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings.

When they finally recovered their strength, they didn't even bother with their clothes, but simply climbed up to their watermelon, and Zack smashed it in half with his fist. Aerith took a chunk and sat on his lap, watermelon juice dripping down her chin, her chest, in between her legs and Zacks', cooling what fire remained. Zack licked some of the juice from her chin.

"You were right." Aerith sighed, licking the green rind. "This is the most delicious watermelon ever."

"This is my first time ever…" Zack murmured, curling her hair behind her ears.

"Eating watermelon?"

"Eating watermelon naked. I like it a lot better." He grinned wide, like a child and licked the pink juice from her neck. Aerith pushed him playfully before getting her second slice.

"Silly…"

….

"I heard you quit." Cloud said softly, his blue eyes curious as he sat on the bar. They had only been back from vacation for three days and already so much had changed. Cloud seemed much more at ease, for starters.

Zack smiled at his friend as he set boxes of liquor on the counter. "I did. I'm done working for Shinra. Even if I lived ten lifetimes, they couldn't pay me back for all I've given them. You should quit too."

"I like this idea!" Tifa piped up from the kitchen, where she was fetching pitchers. "I'll quit if you do Cloud. I can stay here and work the bar all day with Aerith. Who knows, maybe we could expand…" Tifa and Aerith grinned at each other, just at the idea. Zack was reinvigorated by their good humor. He was so excited for the future. There was so much that the four of them could accomplish.

"And what about us?" Cloud asked honestly. "What would we do Zack?" Cloud was a restless soul and being in a bar all day long would not suit him.

Zack had given it a lot of thought. "How about we start a delivery service? On our bikes. I'll be in charge of customer service and you can handle the technical stuff. It will be fun. And we won't be away for too long." He winked at Aerith as he spoke. She smiled and blushed.

"Yeah…That sounds good." Cloud said in excitement. "What should we call it?"

"Strife Delivery Service." Tifa said with a huge laugh. "Cause heaven knows you guys will cause chaos throughout all of the Planet!" Aerith also joined in the giggling. Zack smiled. Strife Delivery Service. It sounded good…catchy…

"Vote!" Aerith called. Four hands shot into the air in unanimous vote.

Zack meandered over to Aerith. "So. We're gonna have 'normal' lives now?" Aerith stood up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the lips…

…But at that moment, the door was nearly blasted off its' hinges and people began to pile into the bar. "_MOTHER_!"

Zack made a noise of discontentment in his chest and Aerith giggled, still planting a kiss on his lips and scar. "Of course not."

**The End…For now…**


End file.
